Pasko 2009: The Mabuhay, Inc. Holiday Party

Check out page 117.  Camp Mabuhay is a volunteer organization established in 1996 to network with American families of adopted Filipino children.

Sunday, Dec 6, 2009 - Book signing at the VFW Holiday Party, Oxon Hill, MD

See pp. 75 and 104 in the book.  The General Vicente Lim Post 5471 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. was established in 1945 and still exists today.  The Ladies Auxiliary was added in 1954, and Junior Girls Unit established in 1970.

Book Launch & Book Review: "New Book Reveals Early Filipinos in Washington, DC....who were they?"

December 3, 2009
Book Launch Review by Maurese Owens (Photos by Bing Branigan)

COMMUNITY NEWS

Images of America” Filipinos in Washington, DC

Who Were the Early Filipinos in the Washington, DC Area? Ever wondered about this?

There’s a new book out that tells that story --  “Images of America: Filipinos in Washington, DC,” by Rita M. Cacas and Juanita Tamayo Lott.  The book was launched December 1 at the Marvin Center of the George Washington University .  Here's the story of Filipinos in the nation’s capital told through more than 200 vintage photos pulled mainly from family albums centering around settlements and stories of our community from 1900-1964 (before the beltway was constructed), as well as photos from the National Archives collections.

The book launch was sponsored by the Philippine Cultural Society (PCS) of the George Washington University in cooperation with the Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council (PALM).  The Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA) supported the project. 

Authors above: Juanita Tamayo Lott (left) is a retired federal senior demographer, policy analyst and special assistant to the U.S. Census Bureau director.  On right is Rita Cacas, daughter of one of the Depression-era pioneers. She worked at the Gallery of Art and is now with the U.S. National Archives.

The launch, organized by Mitzi Pickard of PALM and Kaye Ablen, president of the GWU Philippine Cultural Society, drew a diverse audience of all ages.  Questions from the audience elicited curiousity and awe at who these Filipinos were at the turn of the century. Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park Larry Shinegawa was present and applauded the publication of the book.  Filipino Americans who are interested in their history will find this 128-paged pictorial both fascinating and informative.

Copies of the book may be purchased from PAFC.  Please contact Ador at adorcarreon@aol.com/tel.  240.475.2645 or Maurese at mpapoose@aol.com or 703.606.8796.

More photos:

Larry Shinegawa, Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park offers remarks at an open forum with GWU student UMD College Park student Angela Lagdameo as commentator..

Kaye Ablen of GWU and Mitzi Pickard of PALM, organized the launching event.

Attendees  filled the GWU ampi-theater  and lined up for the book signing after the presentation. They expressed thanks to the authors for a long-awaited piece of Filipino American history.

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Text by Maurese Oteyza Owens; photos by Bing Branigin

Dec 1, 2009 Book Launch!

Book Launch and Discussion
December 1, 2009 (Tuesday) 6:30 to 8:30 pm
The George Washington University (GWU) Marvin Center Amphitheatre 800 21st Street, NW Washington DC 20052

 This event was graciously hosted by the Philippine Cultural Society (PCS) of The George Washington University in cooperation with the Philippine Arts, Letters & Media (PALM) Council.  Supporting Organizations National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA) Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC).












Some pictures from the event:

The authors Juanita Tamayo Lott (left) and Rita Cacas

The talk featured a small exhibit with a copy of the Washington Post article by Washington chronicler, Sarah Booth Conroy "Footsteps of the Filipino Pioneers," that appeared on page 3 of the Style Section, July 25, 1994.  Also shown, were two panoramic photographs of large groups parties hosted by Filipino organizations.

The Book signing begins!

 The authors with (l-r): Jun Pedery, Maria Bello Cacas, and Emilie Dearing

...and with the Alzona family (l-r): Eddie, Esperanza, and Gus.  On page 81 of the book,  Esperanza is the baby in the top photo being baptized, and on page 107, her brother, Gus plays guitar with his band, Trademark.  The Alzona family is pictured on page 82 in the bottom photo, taken in the early 1960s.

With the Toribios (l-r): Joe Straka with son, Kyle, his wife, Nila Toribio Straka, and her father, Leo Toribio.  See page 111;  They are pictured in a 1996 photo with their ancestor, great-aunt Fermina Peji Santos at age 86 (see p. 14, when she came to the U.S in 1915 at the age of 5.

Oct 27, 2009 Received pre-release copies!

Received 5 copies of the book - it's so great to see it in print! You can go to Amazon, Borders, or Barnes and Noble to pre-order books - just search "Filipinos in Washington DC" and you'll find it on the listing.

October 23, 2009

This site will provide additional references about early pioneer Filipinos who worked, played, and settled their families in the Washington DC area between 1900 (after the Philippine-American war), through 1945 -- shortly after being granted independence from the U.S.).

Stories continue to the mid-1960 and beyond -- when Immigration laws changed to allow for a new group of Filipinos to come to the U.S. to a permanent settlement of families. Learn about new leaders who are paving the way for success and continued appreciation for their Filipino-American heritage into the future.